"No, no, not at all," Webster said. "I said before, and I'll say again, the only thing I miss in Portland is the fans. The fans are great. But other than that, the emotions were no different than playing any other team on the road. That's how it had to be approached."

The announced crowd of 20,310 gave Webster a warm ovation when he entered the game with 4:41 left in the first quarter. Webster made an immediate impact, scoring quick baskets on a layup and jumper. He insisted, however, that playing against his old team had nothing to do with being aggressive early.

"I try to do that anywhere I go," Webster said. "Just playing, when opportunities present themselves, you've got to take advantage of them."

Portland fans might still see Webster as the player the Blazers drafted No. 6 in 2005 out of Seattle Prep. But to the Timberwolves -- one of the NBA's youngest teams -- his five years of NBA experience is a huge asset.

"He adds a leadership quality to our team that we desperately need with how young we are," said Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who had 19 points and 17 rebounds. "We love having him here."

The Timberwolves (6-21), who lost their fourth straight game, are on a tough road trip that has them playing four games in five nights. Immediately after Friday's loss, they headed to the airport for a flight to Denver, where they play the Nuggets on Friday.

But the team's lone day off happened to be in Portland, giving Webster a chance to go to the home he still has here with his wife, Courtney.

"I did exactly what I would do if I was living here in Portland, just in the house with my kids and seeing my family members," Webster said. "That's it."

Webster has had a roller-coaster six months. On June 24, he was traded to the Timberwolves for the draft rights to forward Luke Babbitt, who is currently playing in the NBA Development League, and Ryan Gomes, who was subsequently waived in a cost-cutting move.

Webster, meanwhile, went to a very young team that needed a veteran leader, even one who is only 24. Webster had a good preseason, leading the team in scoring in six games despite coming off the bench. But he had back surgery in late October and did not return until this week.

He has played well in his three games since returning, averaging 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.

"He does such a great job coming off the bench," Minnesota coach Kurt Rambis said. "We need his defense, we need his shot-creating capabilities, his outside shooting, his ability to kind of stabilize the second unit, and provide some offensive punch coming off the bench."

Webster has had so much going on, he still hasn't decided where he will settle his family.

"My house is here. My house is also in Minneapolis," he said. "We're just taking it one day at a time, man. I'm not even thinking about it. We're on to the next game."

As for his former team, Webster said he hasn't kept real close tabs on the Blazers, although he was aware of the situation with Brandon Roy. He compared the brewing controversy surround Roy's status to the issues the team had during his rookie season. During that 2005-06 season, the then-very-young Blazers seemed to have a controversy a week, the home crowds often seemed to fill only half the Rose Garden, and Portland finished a league-worst 21-61.

"I know I've been through it -- I've been through something similar," he said. "But I don't know what's going on through that team. We're going through our own things right now. We're trying to figure things out. I have no time to think about what's going on with Portland."